Finance Office

Westlake Customers See Largest Jump in FICO Score, Equifax Finds

LOS ANGELES — Westlake Financial Services was recognized by Equifax as the national auto lender whose customers have seen the highest credit score increase over the term of their loan.

According to data from Equifax, when compared to a national sample of 125,000 customers with auto loans originating in the 2014 calendar year, Westlake Financial Services customers saw the highest average credit score increase over the term of the loan.

This data was collected as a follow up to a white paper Equifax released in Feburary, which examined the benefits subprime customers saw when they successfully paid off an auto loan. According to that report, Equifax found that over a three year period spanning 2010 – 2013, the credit scores of consumers who received a subprime auto loan increased by a median of 52 points.

This was in contrast to subprime consumers who did not have an auto loan, who only saw an increase of 32 points over the same period. Equifax also found that subprime consumers with an auto loan were four times more likely to improve their scores to above 640 than consumers without an auto loan.

“Westlake’s interest in our original article prompted us to examine, at a lender level, where the improvements of subprime customers graduating to near-prime and prime standing was the greatest,” said Lou Loquasto, vice president of auto finance at Equifax. “Westlake and other subprime lenders like them should be lauded for giving the right customers the right loan, and for enabling them to get back on their feet.”